Muslim rebels kill 12 people in Algeria, newspaper reports

ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) -- Algerian Muslim rebels killed 12 civilians, including a baby and two women, in three separate attacks south of Algiers, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Liberte daily said rebels broke into a farmer's home on Friday and shot dead seven family members at Chateau d'Eau hamlet in Blida area, 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Algiers.

"The victims in the random killing were a nine-month-old baby, two children aged one and two years, two women, an adult man and an elderly man," the newspaper said, quoting residents and local security officials.

Liberte said the assailants fled under cover of darkness, taking with them food and the family jewelry.

In another attack, rebels cut the throats of three people at a fake roadblock near Berbessa village in Blida region on Friday.

Two more people were killed in a similar roadblock attack a few hours earlier on Friday, also near Berbessa.

"The two men were brothers who had met the same fate while they were returning home in Berbessa. The car they were travelling in was set ablaze," Liberte added without giving further details.

Algeria has been racked by violence since early 1992 when the authorities canceled a general election in which Muslim militants had taken a commanding lead. More than 100,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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